According to a U.S. official and two informed sources, Iran—through Pakistani mediators—has presented the United States with a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war, while postponing nuclear negotiations to a later stage, according to a report by Axios.
Axios reported that the proposal aims to break the deadlock in the talks, but it could reduce President Donald Trump’s leverage in pushing Tehran to make nuclear concessions.
The report added that Trump is expected to hold a meeting with his national security team to discuss the course of negotiations, while he has maintained his insistence on continuing the naval blockade, considering it a possible way to pressure Iran into retreating.
This comes after a diplomatic tour by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Pakistan and the Sultanate of Oman ended without major progress. The new proposal focuses first on resolving the Strait of Hormuz crisis and the blockade before moving to the nuclear file.
Iranian state media reported on Monday that Araghchi said he would hold talks on bilateral relations and regional issues—including the conflict between Iran and the United States—with Russian officials during a visit to Saint Petersburg, the final stop in a diplomatic tour that also included Pakistan and Oman.
Araghchi said that the latest consultations in Pakistan reviewed the conditions under which talks between Iran and the United States could resume, stressing that Tehran would seek to guarantee its rights and national interests after weeks of conflict.
He also stated that Iran and Oman, as two countries overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, had agreed to continue expert-level consultations to ensure safe passage and protect shared interests in the strategic waterway.
Axios also quoted a White House spokesperson as saying that these are sensitive diplomatic discussions and that the United States would not negotiate through the media, emphasizing that Washington would not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon and that any agreement must serve the interests of the American people first.
The spokesperson added that the U.S. president believes the United States holds the decision-making power and will only conclude an agreement that serves its own interests.
The report further cited a U.S. official saying that the Iranian proposal aims to bypass disagreements within Iran’s leadership regarding the scale of nuclear concessions required.
Sources also said that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informed mediators that there is no full consensus within the Iranian leadership regarding Washington’s demands related to enriched uranium.
Al Mamlaka
